When Worlds Collide

Pairings: Pucktana and eventual Samchel, mentions of St. Berry.

Friendships: Puckleberry, Pezberry, Spuck and Samtana

Word Count: 2,638 words

Sometimes in life, we speak of fate. Fate is defined as the supposed force, principle, or power that predetermines events. So perhaps it was fate that Rachel Berry got pregnant at sixteen. Perhaps it was fate that her baby's father left out of nowhere, leaving her to raise her son alone. And perhaps it was fate that brought Rachel to New York to meet Sam Evans, who drove a taxi in the city. We can't really tell if fate actually exists, or if it's just an explanation for the unexplained events of our life. Some believe in fate, some don't.

Rachel Berry was one of the believers in fate. That didn't mean she didn't get upset when she saw the positive mark on the pregnancy test she bought from the local drugstore. The brunette girl had a feeling something was wrong. She'd been late for her period, and she'd gotten all the symptoms. It was a huge shock to her. Sure, the girl was sexually active, but was always sure she'd used protection with her boyfriend. In the present time, Rachel never regretted getting pregnant. It was just a shame to happen at such a young age. Telling her boyfriend at the time was an even harder task for Rachel to face.

"What do you mean… pregnant?" Jesse asked loudly. "Jesse, please. Lower your voice… I don't want my fathers to hear." She cried. "Rachel, I thought we always used protection… Aren't you on birth control?" He asked. Rachel shook her head regretfully. "We always used condoms, but I should have taken the extra step, with birth control. Jesse, I am so incredibly sorry. I can assure you I never meant for this to happen." The brunette girl sobbed. Jesse stepped forward, and embraced the girl. "Ssh, it's all going to be okay. I've got you." He said, stroking her hair gently. "I'm going to help you with this pregnancy. That is my child in there after all." He whispered. Rachel sobbed into his chest. "I'm so, sorry." She barely managed to get out. "Stop apologizing. It is what it is. And I'm going to be right next to you every step of the way." He promised.

It wasn't the absolute worst that could happen. As the pregnancy progressed, Rachel telling her dads, and Jesse explaining to his parents went swimmingly. They all worked together to find a way to pay for everything. At least, Rachel believed the St. James' family was there to help. In reality, Jesse's family was just waiting to get Jesse out of there. When the due date for her son came, Jesse was gone. When Rachel came to the St. James household a few weeks after the birth of her son, she was met by his older brother whom she'd always looked up to.

"Rach, I'm sorry… Jesse's gone. He went to New York… My parents offered him an out from this, and he took it. I'll kick his ass for you next time I see the little chicken shit." He promised. "Thanks, Mark… Just… Tell him his son's name is Elijah. Elijah Mason." Rachel sighed, broken hearted. The older boy reached out to hug her. "I'm so sorry, Rach. If you need anything, you know where to find me, alright?" He offered. "Thank you… I'll be going now. My fathers need to go to work soon, and I need to be back so I can take care of Eli." With that, she turned around and left.

With Jesse gone, Rachel was left to raise her baby by herself. Occasionally she called for the help from Mark St. James, but she didn't want to feel like a burden on him. A year later, he told her he was off to college, he was recently graduated. Though he told her not to hesitate to call, she wasn't going to do that. The baby was not his son, Eli was just his nephew. He wasn't supposed to raise him. That was Jesse's job. Rachel liked to believe that she was doing a pretty good job of raising her son and finishing high school. Her grades slipped once, when she missed a few days to recover from giving birth. From then on her grades were nearly flawless, as they'd always been. She maintained her 3.8 GPA for all of her senior year.

The summer after she graduated, Rachel packed her things, and moved to New York; the city of her dreams. Rachel had gone there a few times growing up, and always wanted to return, to live there. She knew it would be tough at first. A recent high school graduate with a baby, and no place to live, it was going to be a challenge. She'd be living out of her car until she found a place to stay.

Rachel knew it was going to be hard. But two years of living out of her car was not what Rachel expected. She worked odd jobs, and found a daycare to put Eli in during the day. Rachel had a routine. She collected quarters in order to do her laundry, and took up a membership at a local gym so she could keep up her exercise routine, and shower regularly. She knew it wasn't the best routine, but it kept her going. She constantly checked the newspapers, looking for an apartment to share with someone. A two bedroom would suffice. She could share a room with Eli, they had very few items. Everywhere she looked was wrong, and if she did find a good place, the renters weren't tolerant of children.

Finally, Rachel did gain some stability with her money. She'd recently been hired as a singing waitress at the stardust diner. It required Eli staying a bit later than usual at daycare, but the instructors were incredibly sweet about it.

Rachel woke up one morning as usual, and drove Eli toward his daycare. She dropped him off early in the morning, so the boy was still sleeping. Parking in front, she changed his clothes, and carried the four year old inside. His daycare teacher took him from her, and smiled, greeting her as usual. The rest of her day was normal. Since it wasn't a laundry day, and she was off work, the brunette girl bought a newspaper and a pretzel and took a seat at a table in Times Square. She didn't expect to find anything today, but then out of the corner of her eye, she saw an ad for an apartment. She looked it over, noticing it was exactly what she was looking for. Excited, Rachel took down the number, and stood up, making her way back to her car. She dialed the woman's number.

"Santana Lopez." The woman answered. "Hello, my name is Rachel Berry, and I just saw your ad for a roommate, and I may be interested, that is if you're still in need of one?"

"Yes! The room is still available, if you want to come check it out, you're more than welcome, I'm free all day today." She said. "Thank you, I can be there in an hour, if that's convenient?"

"Of course! I'll see you then, Rachel, thanks for calling."

Once Rachel hung up the phone, she started driving to Eli's daycare. When she got there, she found Eli waiting for her. "Mama!" He exclaimed, running to her, and wrapping his arms around her legs. "Hi, baby, how was your day today?" She asked, kneeling down in front of him. "I drew a picture of me and you!" He said excitedly.

Rachel smiled at the drawing. "Well, guess what, we might be living in an actual house soon!" She told Eli, picking him up, and carrying him to the car. "For realsies?!" He asked excitedly. "Yes, for realsies!" She laughed, answering him.

"Okay, so you know how to act Eli. Be a good boy, and don't interrupt when the grown ups are talking, and tomorrow I'll take you to the big toy store, okay?"

"Yes, Mama." He answered, gripping his toy tightly. Rachel kissed his cheek, and set him down, taking his hand, and knocking on the door.

A Latina answered. The woman looked about the same age as Rachel. "Santana?" Rachel asked confidently. "Uh, yeah, that's me, come on in, and take a look around…" She said uncertainly, looking at the four year old. Rachel came inside, Eli still gripping her hand tightly. "I'm sorry I forgot to mention on the phone that I have a son… Would that be a problem?" She asked, trying to stay confident.

Santana thought it over. "How about this, I'll let you look around, and we'll sit down and do the 'interview' and I'll let you know at the end of the visit… It's all I can do." She compromised. "That's completely fair, thank you." She said.

"Okay, so the apartment isn't very big, but I'll show you around. This is obviously the living room, and right down that hallway is the master bedroom, which is mine, and whenever my boyfriend stays over, his too. We don't live together, he wanted to be a fancy man and stay in a dorm, and to that I say aye ay ay. But whatever. Anyway, right there is where the kitchen is, it's small. There is a fridge, and a dishwasher. A microwave too. I don't have a coffee maker."

She continued, and walked to a door on the other side of the living room. "This is the spare bedroom, the room I need to rent out. The bathroom across the hall is the bathroom for guests, and your own personal uses. I won't use it, I have the one in the master room." She explained as she opened the door.

The room was the perfect size for Rachel. She didn't have many things, so all of her stuff could easily fit. "My old roommate Britt, she said she didn't need her dresser, so there's already a dresser, it's fancy, has a huge vanity mirror." Rachel looked at it, picking Eli up, because he was tugging on her jacket sleeve. "It's nice." She commented politely. "That's pretty much it, down the hall next to my bedroom is the washer and dryer, which if you do move in, you are absolutely welcome to use. Why don't we go sit at the table, and I'll conduct the 'interview' part of this sh- stuff." She corrected herself, looking at Eli.

Rachel laughed. "That sounds good."

Once they were seated, Santana tapped her fingers on the table. "Okay, so I just have a few questions," She started. "First, where are you from?"

Rachel answered. "I'm from Lima, Ohio." The Latina nodded. "I grew up in Queens. So I'm familiar with the city." She responded. "When did you have your son?"

"He's four years old. Yes, I was a teen mom. I had him when I was 16. The father is not in the picture, and no, I'm not a high school drop out. I don't have time for college however." She said, knowing the questions that were running through the girl's mind.

The rest of the interview went smoothly. By the end of it, Santana had her mind made up. She noticed how well behaved the little boy was.

"And as for your earlier question; no it's not a problem. I can handle having a kid around. So that means, if you'd like, the apartment is yours, halfway." She said with a smile. The four year old in Rachel's lap squealed excitedly. "Yay! No more sleeping in the car!" Rachel patted his head, and shook Santana's hand. "Thank you, so much. I just recently got hired in a diner, so money will be tight for me for a while, but paying rent will be no problem." She promised. "Thank you. I can't tell you enough how much it means to me that you-"

"Okay, Berry, first thing to know about me. I don't do the sentimental crap. It drives my boyfriend nuts. So, you're welcome. But don't thank me a million times." She smiled. Rachel stopped, but kept the smile on her face. "When can you move in?" She asked.

"Well, as I explained, I've been living out of my car so now, actually."

Before Santana could answer, the front door opened, and a voice boomed through. "Yo Santana, I brought take out!" Santana rolled her eyes.

"Hope you brought enough for four, idiota! I told you someone was coming to check out the extra room!" She shouted back. A tall man with a Mohawk came into the kitchen with a big bag. "I always have enough food." He answered. "So you're the one renting out the room then?" He asked, looking at the short brunette.

Rachel nodded. "Nice manners dummy. That's Noah Puckerman, my boyfriend. You got here just in time; you can help Rachel carry her things in from her car." She said, pulling the bag away from him. "Then you can eat."

Puck pouted for a minute, and then got up. "Alright, let's do this, Rachel."

"Mama, do you want me to help? I'm a big boy, I can carry stuff too!" Eli said, getting out of her lap.

Before Rachel could say anything, Puck raised an eyebrow at the boy. "And what's your name, munchkin?"

"My name's Elijah Mason Berry, and I'm four years old." He answered staring at the man's Mohawk. "You have really cool hair!"

"Thanks, buddy, your hair's pretty cool too." He said, ruffling the boy's brown curls. Rachel stood, and the three of them walked down to Rachel's car. "You caught San on a good day, she's usually moodier than that." Puck said to Rachel jokingly. "In all seriousness though, she's a great girl. I grew up across the street from her. We've known each other since we were in diapers." He explained.

"That's so sweet," Rachel said, handing the man a few of her bags, and a suitcase. Eli was sitting in the backseat, gathering up his things from his makeshift room, and shoving them into his spider man backpack. "So, if you don't mind me asking, what's the deal with the kid? Like… Baby daddy issues?" He asked. "Oh, it's nothing… Eli's dad helped me through the pregnancy, but then he left, got cold feet when he was born… His brother actually helped me take care of Eli until he was one, but then he went to college out of state. I told him not to worry, I mean, after all he's not Eli's dad. So it's kind of just been Eli and I for the past three years." She shrugged, grabbing the rest of her things, and telling Eli to get out of the car.

"Sounds rough, m'sorry." Puck said, frowning. "It's not that bad." Rachel answered.

Finally, everything was put away in the spare room, and they all sat down to eat. Rachel's first night in the apartment with Santana went smoothly. Eli remained well behaved, and fell asleep a few hours later. Rachel picked him up off the floor where he was sitting when he fell asleep, and carried him into their new room. Santana came in a few seconds later. "I'm sorry, I forgot to mention there is a blow up mattress, in the top drawer of the dresser, it only takes a few seconds to blow up. Britt ordered a new mattress for the room, it just isn't here yet." She explained quietly, not wanting to wake Eli up.

"Thank you." Rachel said appreciatively. She laid Eli down on a blanket, and set the mattress up. Once she got everything set up, she laid him down quietly, making sure he was covered up, and started to unpack her things. Rachel believed that things were finally turning around for herself and Eli.


A/N: How did everyone like the first chapter? The review button likes to be clicked! Let me know, thanks! :)